Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. I. J. MERRIGK.`

VGAR. OUPLING.

No. 297,829- Patented Apr. 29, 1884.

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(Ne Model.) Z'Sheets-Sheet 2. I. J. MERRICK.

GAR 00u-BLING. No. 297,829. Patented Apr. 29, 1884.

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'UNirnD STATESV Armar Brion.,

IsAAo Jonson Mannion, on coNorToN, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,829, dated April `29, 1884. Application filed March '1, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAo J. MERRIQK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Gonotton, in the county of Harrison and State of Ohio,'have invented' certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplin gs; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referenceV being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in Which- Figurel is a front view of the lower por- I tion of a 4railroad-car providedwith my improved car-coupling. .Fig. 2 is abottom View of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the draw-head. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal horizontal view of the same. Fig. 5 is a 'bottom view of two draw-bars 'and heads coupled, showing them in the act of uncoupling in dotted lines; and Fig. 6 is a detail View of the uncoupling-l'ever.

Similar letters 'of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of automatic car-couplings having arrow-head draw-heads, and it contemplates certain improvements upon thecoupling for which Letters Patent No. 285,913 were granted to me on the 2d day of October, 1883; and it consists, to that end, in the improved construction and combination of parts of the same, as `hereinafter more fully described and claimed. i

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the platform of the car; B indicates the sliding platform; GA C indicate the spring-cushioned bumpers;,D is the draw-barV sliding in the casing E and boXing F; G G are the bearings and boxes through which the spring-cushioned bumpers slide, and H is the plate which covers the sliding platform at its inner end, all of which parts are of the same construction as the corresponding parts in my aforementioned patent, and consequently need no further explanation. I prefer, however, to make the plate H increasing in thickness toward its middle, as shown in the drawings, corrugated upon its upper surface, and provided with one or more perforations, through which the sliding platform may be lubricated.

The outer end of the draw-bar is provided with a draw-head, J, vhaving a shoulder, K, at one side, forming a recess, L, in its forward end for the reception of a common couplinglink, havinga vertical perforation,.M, passing through the said recess for the reception of a common coupling-pin, and having its end and its inclined side covered with a plate, N, of metal ofa greater resistance to wear than the metal of the draw-head. The straight side of the draw-head forms a vertical bearing, yO, in which rocks abolt, P, upon which an eccentric block, Q, is secured, which block projects through a transverse slot or recess, R, in the drawhead,the end of the block projecting inside the shoulder of the head, and an arm, S, is secured to theouter side of the block, projecting rearward, and has a chain, T, attached to its rear end.` The outer end of this chain is attached to the lower arm of alever, U, pivoted upon the front edge of the platform, or pivoted upon any convenientportion of the platform, and the lower end of the lever is forced inward by means of a spring, W, which is secured at one end to the edge of the platform, coiled around the pivotal pin V of the lever, and bent to bear against the outer edge of the lower end of the arm'of the lever. The upper end of the lever maybe provided with a suitable spring-lock or similar means for securing it in its desired positions.

In the drawings the sliding platform has been showngextending from one side of the car-platform'to vthe otherwhich may have its advantages for certainjco'nstructions of carsas, for example, for p'zfLssenger-cars or platform-cars-it being obvious that the platform claimed in my former patent may be of any width desired.

It will be seen that, in coupling, the drawheads will hook into each other with their shoulders, and when it is desired to uncouple the cars .the lever upon the platform is tilted, drawing the chain outward, which will draw the Varm upon they eccentric block outward, pushing the end of the block inward against the shoulder of the opposite 'draw-head, forcing the latter out of its engagement with the shoulder of the head, when the draw-bar will IOC be drawn to the side by the chain, thus uncoupling the heads, the eccentric block pushing the shoulders out of engagement, the shoulders being slightly hooked, thus preventing any undue strain upon the latter, which might occur by simply drawing` the draw-bars to the sides.

I ain aware that ear-couplings have been made having levers or blocks pivoted in slots to the rear of the shoulders of the hook-shaped draw-heads, and I do not claim such construetion, broadly; but I am not aware that such levers or blocks have had chains attached to their outer ends, drawing the draw-bars to the side after disengaging their shoulders, and

I therefore claim as new- The combination, in a car-coupling, of a draw-head having a slightly-hooked shoulder andahorizontal slot or recess behind the shoulder, a block or lever pivoted horizontally in the said slot, a chain attached to the outer end of the said lever or block, and means for drawing the said chain to one side, tilting the inner end of the lever into the space behind the shoulder of the draw-head, and drawing the draw-head to the side, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of' two witnesses.

ISAAC JONSON MERRICK.

Vitn esses:

W. H. HosT, J. D. GAMBLE. 

